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| Keywords: henry viii henryviii king of england kingofengland english royalty englishroyalty 16th century 16thcentury portrait tudors people indoor Phillip Mould: At some point quite early its history, the features of this important, hitherto unrecorded portrait of the English monarch were modified to those of Francis I, King of France. It has now been returned to its original form. Given its French provenance and significant size, it can be surmised that this painting was a commission that arose naturally out of the increased diplomatic contact between England and France in the decade following the Field of the Cloth of Gold of 1520. The transformation of its identity to Francis may well be because subsequent generations of French restorers confused the two likenesses. An alliance with France was essential to Henry during his dispute with Rome and, in February 1527, at the instigation of Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, an embassy from France arrived in England to begin negotiations for a treaty of eternal peace.2 To celebrate the success of the negotiations there followed, in May, at Greenwich, one of the greatest of all Tudor court festivals.3 The treaty was then ratified by Francis and Wolsey at Amiens in August and finally, in November 1527, the new alliance was sealed with the unprecedented exchange of royal orders between the two kings. Alliances, treaties and marriage negotiations between European courts were commonly marked by the exchange of royal images, and indeed in the last year another unrecorded portrait of Henry VIII was discovered in France, this time a miniature by Lucas Hornebolte from c.1526. There is a strong likelihood, given their French provenances and probable date, that both our portrait and the miniature were produced as diplomatic gifts. Our painting can be dated to between 1525 and 1530 on stylistic and technical grounds6, preceding the Joos van Cleve type of c.1535/7 and the earliest Holbein images which are iconographically predominant thereafter. It therefore becomes one of only six surviving panel portraits of Henry that are known from the first decade of his reign; it is also larger in scale than any of this group, which would imply a significant commission. Among the finest and best preserved of these early portraits is in the National Portrait Gallery (NPG 4690) and is considered to date from c.1520. The unknown artist was almost certainly of Flemish origin, as was the painter of an equally early portrait, though of a much smaller size, which is in the Fairhaven collection at Anglesey Abbey. Another notable portrait, its present whereabouts not known, is of the same dimensions as the one in the NPG but stylistically has a greater affinity to ours, which appears to reflect a French influence. It is interesting to note that our portrait replicates the basic elements of costume design and jewellery to be found in the probably earlier portrait in the NPG. The iconography of Henry in the 1520s is completed by two portraits of identical design in foreign collections, one of which is significantly dated 1527. They are not of great quality and were clearly produced on the continent from an, as yet, undiscovered pattern. Again in the year 1527, Henry VIII sent portraits of himself and the Princess Mary to Francis I, whose comments upon being shown the portraits were recorded. It is said that he took off his hat and stated that he knew Henry''s face well, and said “I pray to God that He will give him a good and long life. '' Phillip Mould: At some point quite early its history, the features of this important, hitherto unrecorded portrait of the English monarch were modified to those of Francis I, King of France. It has now been returned to its original form. Given its French provenance and significant size, it can be surmised that this painting was a commission that arose naturally out of the increased diplomatic contact between England and France in the decade following the Field of the Cloth of Gold of 1520. The transformation of its identity to Francis may well be because subsequent generations of French restorers confused the two likenesses. An alliance with France was essential to Henry during his dispute with Rome and, in February 1527, at the instigation of Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, an embassy from France arrived in England to begin negotiations for a treaty of eternal peace.2 To celebrate the success of the negotiations there followed, in May, at Greenwich, one of the greatest of all Tudor court festivals.3 The treaty was then ratified by Francis and Wolsey at Amiens in August and finally, in November 1527, the new alliance was sealed with the unprecedented exchange of royal orders between the two kings. Alliances, treaties and marriage negotiations between European courts were commonly marked by the exchange of royal images, and indeed in the last year another unrecorded portrait of Henry VIII was discovered in France, this time a miniature by Lucas Hornebolte from c.1526. There is a strong likelihood, given their French provenances and probable date, that both our portrait and the miniature were produced as diplomatic gifts. Our painting can be dated to between 1525 and 1530 on stylistic and technical grounds6, preceding the Joos van Cleve type of c.1535/7 and the earliest Holbein images which are iconographically predominant thereafter. It therefore becomes one of only six surviving panel portraits of Henry that are known from the first decade of his reign; it is also larger in scale than any of this group, which would imply a significant commission. Among the finest and best preserved of these early portraits is in the National Portrait Gallery (NPG 4690) and is considered to date from c.1520. The unknown artist was almost certainly of Flemish origin, as was the painter of an equally early portrait, though of a much smaller size, which is in the Fairhaven collection at Anglesey Abbey. Another notable portrait, its present whereabouts not known, is of the same dimensions as the one in the NPG but stylistically has a greater affinity to ours, which appears to reflect a French influence. It is interesting to note that our portrait replicates the basic elements of costume design and jewellery to be found in the probably earlier portrait in the NPG. The iconography of Henry in the 1520s is completed by two portraits of identical design in foreign collections, one of which is significantly dated 1527. They are not of great quality and were clearly produced on the continent from an, as yet, undiscovered pattern. Again in the year 1527, Henry VIII sent portraits of himself and the Princess Mary to Francis I, whose comments upon being shown the portraits were recorded. It is said that he took off his hat and stated that he knew Henry''s face well, and said “I pray to God that He will give him a good and long life. '' | ||||
